Exclusive: Top US Navy SEAL tells commanders in letter: 'We have a problem'

[Judi Lynn]

Barbara Starr-Profile-Image
By Barbara Starr, CNN Pentagon Correspondent

Updated 1:05 PM ET, Thu August 1, 2019

Washington (CNN)The top US Navy SEAL recently sent a blistering letter to the force, writing in boldface type, "We have a problem," following several high profile incidents of alleged misbehavior by the US Navy's elite service members, CNN has learned.

Rear Adm. Collin Green has given commanders until August 7 to detail the problems they see and provide recommendations on how they will ensure troops are engaging in ethical and professional behavior.

The letter -- dated July 25 and exclusively obtained by CNN -- comes in the wake of several high profile incidents of alleged misbehavior by SEALs.

"I don't know yet if we have a culture problem, I do know that we have a good order and discipline problem that must be addressed immediately," Green said.

More:
https://www.cnn.com/2019/08/01/politics/navy-seals-collin-green-service-members-misbehavior/index.html?cid=web-alerts&nsid=81297551

[malaise]

1. What we have here is a culture of Follow the Leader

aka the Commander-in-whatever

[lpbk2713]

2. Just tell them Trump is a treasonous criminal.

And don't follow his example.

[old guy]

3. OMG. A blistering letter in boldface type.

That will have them shaking in their boots for sure.

[qazplm135]

4. well when an Admiral writes a letter telling his commanders to do something

it's kinda like, ya know, an order.

it's not a blistering letter that they can ignore.

[gratuitous]

5. I have no doubt you are correct

I have to wonder, though, what conclusions subordinates are drawing as they watch Trump meddle in military affairs that he clearly knows nothing about (cf. rescinding the Navy Achievement Medals for the prosecutors in the Gallagher case). Sure, the admiral is hopping mad about this, but if Trump sticks his nose in to countermand the admiral, what then?

[qazplm135]

7. he won't

but the Admiral can't do anything about that.

Only the voters can.

But I will say influence as a leader lessens as you get farther away. So the special operators are going to listen more to their more immediate commanders who in turn will listen more to the Admiral.

[Baitball Blogger]

6. A culture problem. Yes, you have a culture problem.

So glad that they're giving this attention. If they don't fix it while these officers are active, they are doing us no good by releasing them into our communities as retirees.

[stopdiggin]

8. the problems predate current C in Chief by quite a bit

Trump is undoubtedly toxic and immoral (with a given disregard for law and order) .. but what's happening with some of our elite forces has deeper roots.

[Wellstone ruled]

9. You just made a

statement that most of us Olderster's heard of in real time. Latin America was ripped to shreds by these out of control players back in the day. Lots of Ollie Norths and Poindexter's playing Cowboy and funding their games with Drug Money and other scams.

[stopdiggin]

11. it's a case of us buying in to our own BS

"it takes bad guys to catch bad guys" and all the other Dirty Harry Hollywood crap. Conflict and war offer up plenty of shades of gray and moral dilemma. That's quite different than starting from a premise that the rules don't apply to you or what your doing.
Anybody (either in the service or out) that came away from those times thinking Ollie North was any kind of patriot ... Well, that's more or less what I'm saying in my post.

[Wellstone ruled]

12. Bad Guy's to get Bad Guy's.

Interesting theory,but,somewhere that went off the rails. Death Squads killing Teachers and Clergy is really F---ed up.

[ROB-ROX]

10. What problem???

Drunk out of control military members? I am not talking about "McHale's Navy" types, but really out of control goons who have been ignored. I am a veteran and I never went as far as we have seen reported in the news. An 18 year war is TO MUCH war. We have to end the war and stop letting republicans spend more money on defense and other war crap. I think the reason we have an opium problem is because somebody in this country is buying cut rate drugs from where we are at war. I remember the problems with Viet Nam and the future drugs addicts. Same thing is happening today but it sure is not a BIG news item.....

[TygrBright]

13. The Military and Law Enforcement are facing the same big problem.

And it is a culture issue.

Our military and law enforcement forces are old institutions, and while there is much that is solid in their foundations (processes based on legally-defined rules of what is and is not permissible in meeting goals, emphases on honor, respect, the legitimacy of legal authority, unit cohesion that increases effectiveness, and above all, being accountable to civilian higher authority), there's a lot of rot in there, too. And it's spreading more quickly these days.

Unit cohesion is *supposed* to be a positive force in which each service member or LEO knows they can rely on their colleagues to provide backup when needed, be sure they will never alone or abandoned in a dangerous situation, will receive the respect of their peers for accomplishments and (formerly) pressure from peers to maintain high standards and respect legitimate authority. Those things are essential to effectiveness.

But unit cohesion in many units of law enforcement and the armed forces has become a toxic us-against-them stew of threatened masculinity and contempt for the know-nothing civilians who don't take the front-line risks and can't possibly understand the realities of their mission.

Instead of enforcing the high standards and aspirations of their public service mission, unit cohesion has become the reason even the worst of bad apples don't get "snitched out" and the justification for bad decision making at many levels.

Instead of defining strength based on adherence to operational parameters that respect the rights of civilians, innocent bystanders, etc., the law enforcement and military culture has become infused with a definition of strength based on how "badass" you're willing to be, how many rules you're willing to break to "get the job done".

The changing of recruitment standards started in the military, when the Perpetual Middle East War demanded a bottomless well of cannon fodder and standards relating to criminal records, educational achievement, aptitude testing, etc., were changed to allow just about any warm body to count against a recruiter's quota.

Those new recruits were trained on "fast tracks" and exposed to an increasingly toxic culture of 'the end justifies the means, all authority except US is bullshit to be circumvented or subverted or ignored in pursuit of getting the job done,' and increasing exposure to traumas and injuries that they were expected to just absorb and overcome and keep on keeping on.

Then those recruits mustered out and got hired by law enforcement.

Is anyone surprised we have problems?

wearily,
Bright

[bluedigger]

14. The culture issue stems from almost two decades of constant wartime deployments.

That'll wear on a force.